Process of producing composite metal plates.



PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

F.YE.GA'NDA. PROCESS OF PRODUCING comrosnrs METAL PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 10, 1903.

R0 MODEL.

WITNESSES v ATTORNEYS v ,UN TED STATES Patented August 23, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND E. CANDA, 0E NEW YORK, N; Y., ASSIGNOR TO CHROME STEEL WORKS, NEW JERSEY.

OF CHROME, NEW JERSEY,'A CORPORATION OF PROCESS OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE ,METAL PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,264, dated Augu'st 23, 1904.

' 7 Application filed August 10, 1903. Serial l lo. 168,859. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

city, county, and State of New York, have in' vented a certain new and useful Process of Producing Composite Metal Plates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in methods of forming composite steel-plates and the like, and is especially intended for the making ofcomposite plates formed of alternate layers of hard and soft steel, such as are used for vaults, safes, jail-bars, &c. and which are termed threeply, five-ply plates,

&c., according to the number of layers of steel embodied in the complete plate. Such plates have often been made inthe past by assembling together plates of the diiferent materials used in the proper order and welding them between rolls or in a press, as described in myPatent No. 7 26,026, dated April 21, 1903' In the process herein described, however, the composite plates are produced by placing a plate or plates of the harder.

steel provided with surface grooves, as herein described, within a suitable mold and then pouring moltensteel of a softer grade completely around the plate or plates so inserted in the mold, thereby forming around the plate or plates of the harder grade of steel a complete envelop of the softer grade of steel. The ingot thus formed is taken as soon as possible from the mold and bythe application of pressure while it is at a forging temperature is reduced to size. Ordinarily pressure is applied by passing the ingots between rollers. The formation of an envelop of the softer grade of steel completely surrounding the plate or plates of the harder grade of steel is exceedingly important, because while at ordinary temperatures the inserted plates are' much softer than the material cast about them. This is due to the fact that the harder grade of steel has a much lower melting-point than the softer grade, so that a temperature high enough to render the'milder grade of steel soft enough for working will render the higher grade of steel exceedingly soft, so that it may be ina mushy condition. As a result,

if the mild steel did not completely surround the higher grade of steel during the application of pressure this higher grade of steel might be squeezed out from between the layers of mild steel; but by completely enveloping the higher grade of steel in the mild steel squeezing out of the former materialwhile the ingot is between the rolls is entirely prevented, and in the resulting plate the various layers of steel occupy their proper relative positions. By the grooving of the ,plates the heating of these plates by the molten metal is greatly facilitated, thereby helping to insure a perfect weld between said plates and the material cast about them.

' Owing to this grooving tothe relatively high temperature of the steel which is cast and the pressure to which the ingot is subjected after casting, very perfect welds may be produced, and all danger of separation of the layers duringsubsequent treatment is avoided.

My invention therefore consists in casting relatively soft steel-about grooved plates of and to insure perfect welding together of the component plate s.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a top view of an ingot-mold, such as may be used in my process, and shows two grooved plates in place therein and the separator-bars for holding said plates apart. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of the ingot-mold be produced by the process.

on a plane transverse to the said plates so inserted. Fig. 3 shows a detail transverse section, on a larger scale, of an ingot, such as will Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of one of the grooved plates.

The ingot-mold 1 shown in the drawings is of usual construction and rests upon the usual bottom or sprue'plate 2, only a portion of which is shown. This bottom plate is provided with a fire-brick conduit or runner 3 for the supply of the molten metal. Vithin this ingot-mold 1 place the plates 4, of relatively hard steel, about which the molten metal is to be poured. Before these plates are inserted in the ingot-mold grooves 5 are formed in their faces. One way of doing this is to pass the plates through suitable grooving-rolls, and other ways will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. The grooves are preferably longitudinal, so that they will be vertical when the plates are set up within the mold. The plates 4 are held at suitable distances apart within the mold by spacing-bars 6 at the top and bottom.

1n carrying out the process the plates 4, prepared for Welding by pickling and by such other treatment as may be desired, are placed within the mold, and the molten metal is run into the mold in the ordinary manner and rises up between and around the plates 4, filling the grooves 5 and completely surrounding said plates. The grooving of the surfaces of the plates 4: increases very greatly the contact surface and so greatly facilitates the heating of said plates by the molten metal, thereby insuring that said plates t shall be raised to the melting temperature before the chilling of the molten metal occurs. The grooves also provide channels for the escape of gases. As soon as possible after the molten metal has set the resulting ingot, comprising one or more plates of a relatively high grade of steel enveloped in a lower grade of steel, is removed from the mold and whileheated to a forging heat is passed between rolls or subjected to pressure otherwise, and so reduced to the desired form. Owing to the fact that the higher grade of steel. although very soft at the temperature at which the ingot is worked, is completely surrounded by an envelop of steel, which at that temperature is quite tough and firm, the layer or layers of higher grade. steel are. not squeezed out during the working, but retain their proper relative positions, the metal being eondensed by the pressure and the ingot spread out to the desired form and thickness and a perfect welding together of its component layers being assured.

\Vhat 1 claim is- 1. The herein-described method of producing composite steel articles comprising alternate layers of steel of different melting-poi nts, which consists in forming grooves in a surface of an article composed of steel of relatively low melting-point, and then casting molten metal of a grade having a higher meltingpoint around such article and causing the molten metal to envelop the same to such an extent as to prevent extrusion of the steel of low melting-point upon working.

2. The herein-described method of producing composite steel articles comprising alternate layers of steel of different melting-points, which consists in forming grooves in a surface of an article composed of steel of relatively low melting-point, casting about such article molten steel of a grade having a higher melting-point and causing the same to envelop such article to such an extent as to prevent extrusion of the steel of low melting-point during subsequent application of pressure, and then subjecting the ingot thus formed, while in a heated condition, to pressure.

3. The herein-described method of producing composite steel articles, which consists in forming grooves in surfaces of a steel article, casting about such article molten steel and causing the latter to envelop such article to such an extent as to prevent extrusion of the material of such article during subsequent application of pressure, and applying pressure to the resulting ingot, while the latter in a heated condition; the steel comprised in the molten metal so cast being of a grade which, at temperatures suitable for forging, is stronger than the steel comprised in the article about which the molten metal is rast.

In testimony whereofl afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FERDIN A ND E. (/A N I )A.

Vitnesses:

ALrHoNs r1 KLon, H. M. MARBLE. 

